what would be the minimum number of steps i would need to render the stereo view

There's no hard-and-fast number. I've seen good results from 20-ish frames. More important is the physical aspect ratio of the subject, depth:width. As that drops below 1:10 or so, the depth gets harder and harder to see.

Since Rik brings it up, how wonderful a 3-D look at it sounds. I love those Zerene synthetic cross-eye stereo images, really makes the this whole digital revolution worth the bother... _________________Cheers,
Kurt Maurer
League City, Texas